December 16 ganagrape case: Bar Council serves notice to defence lawyer

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Bar Council today sought a response from A P Singh, the counsel for convicts in the December 16 gangrape case, for his remarks that he would have burnt alive his daughter had she been having premarital sex and moving around at night with her boyfriend.

In a meeting held this evening under the Chairmanship of Surya Prakash Khatri, a majority of members of Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) took the view and issued a show-cause notice to Singh for his remarks soon after the convicts were awarded with death penalty on September 13.

Murari Tiwari, Secretary of DBC, said "although the issue was not in the agenda of today's meeting Singh's repeated defence of his statement forced the members to take a serious view and a issue show-cause notice as to why his license will not be suspended for making such "unwarranted remarks."

He said Singh had to reply by October 11 to the Council's notice under the Advocates Act, adding "Singh's statement was not only against the moral and professional ethics but also damaged the reputation of the legal profession."

The meeting was attended by 19 out of 25 members. Apparently referring to the 23-year-old victim in the December 16 incident, Singh had told the media in reply to a question, "...if my daughter was having premarital sex and moving around at night with her boyfriend, I would have burnt her alive. I would not have let this situation happen. All parents should adopt such an attitude."

On September 13, a fast track court had awarded death penalty to four accused 10 for the gangrape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedic student in a moving bus.